The cost of skipping today's class

Is it worth it to skip class? After adjusting for room and board and other costs, it is $51.68 for an hour of class skipped. This metric assumes 16 weeks of class per semester at the University’s 15-credits-per-semester average. For out-of-state students skipping class costs $101.38 for every hour missed. International students spend $105.15, less than a $4 increase, for the same amount of time.
Harley WiltseyBuy Photos

The cost of skipping class is tossed around like a well known fact at IU, and $20 and $40 are the common figures. Students may ask themselves when they get out of bed if skipping on a given day is worth it.

The correct answer depends on a number of variables. In-state students pay significantly less in tuition, and, according to IU’s online factbook, they accounted for 69 percent of the total enrollment at the school last fall.

Including associated fees, the University reports in-state tuition as $10,387.56 per year. International students pay less than $2000 more in tuition and fees than out-of-state students, who pay $34,245.76 in tuition and fees before room and board.

These metrics do not account for transportation, room and board, or fees associated with living in Bloomington.

With these adjustments the amount in-state, out-of-state and international students pay for an academic year at IU is about $24,808, $48,666 and $50,471, respectively. None of these numbers account for scholarships or need-based assistance.

The Office of Scholarships said it does not publish average scholarship amount by these demographics, so adjusting for scholarships is difficult in assessing the average cost of skipping a class. Programs like 21st Century and Groups Scholars offer assistance to those residing in the state of Indiana, while certain programs are open exclusively to out-of-state or international students.

A Feb. 26 article on USA Today’s college website estimated the average cost of skipping class at an in-state public university to be $30. This does not account for the fees mentioned and incorporated above.

Is it worth it to skip class? After adjusting for room and board and other costs, it is $51.68 for an hour of class skipped. This metric assumes 16 weeks of class per semester at the University’s 15-credits-per-semester average. For out-of-state students skipping class costs $101.38 for every hour missed. International students spend $105.15, less than a $4 increase, for the same amount of time.
Harley WiltseyBuy PhotosAt IU, this number is closer to $20 but, after adjusting for room and board and other costs, is $51.68 for an hour of class skipped. This metric assumes 16 weeks of class per semester at the University’s 15-credits-per-semester average.

For out-of-state students skipping class costs $101.38 for every hour missed. International students spend $105.15, less than a $4 increase, for the same amount of time.

Adjusting for scholarship awarded would decrease this number in most cases. College Board, which sources its data from both IU and the federal and state governments, reported the majority of students, about 70 percent, were offered aid by the University this fall.

Because the specific demographic scholarship information was not available and tuition covers a range of 13 to 18 credit hours, calculating the cost of skipping a class depends on the student. This specificity makes finding an average difficult.

Reasons for calculating these costs aside, the numbers summarize the proportion of in-state to out-of-state, and to an extent, international, class skipping by tuition and fees.

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